DisPhanatic
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 28, 2014
I am embarking on my first non-Disney Orlando Adventure and my first trip report. I've taken many trips to Disney and consider myself close to an expert on that location. I've utilized the Disboards and found all the information I needed. This trip has been challenging to plan for a lot of reasons. We have multiple parties involved and are visiting multiple parks that we've never toured before. I thought my experience may be helpful to other travelers on the boards. Welcome to my trip!
Let's meet the cast. The stars of the show are me - Danielle. I am in my 40s and work for an insurance company. I work hard and live for my vacations with my boys. DH is not as enamored with the multiple trips to the mouse and has occasionally opted out. I was able to talk him into this trip since we are avoiding the Disney parks and embarking on some new adventures. DS1 just had his 11th birthday and is a total daredevil. He loves coasters and all the Harry Potter rides. DS2 is 8, loves characters, casting spells, and some thrill rides. He won't quite be 54 inches so he will miss out on Hulk and Dragon Challenge, but I am not sure he would ride even if he could. Our trip is between both of their birthdays (one April 19 and one May 20) so this trip is their gift.
The supporting cast are the following:
Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C - are all retired and joining us at the beginning of our trip. They all love Harry Potter and Uncle C hasn't been to Universal in 15+ years.
The D Family - friends of ours moved to the Tampa area from PA last year. They will be joining us for one day - mom, dad, DD15 and DS12.
Aunt K - another friend of ours. She's a kid at heart and loves thrill rides. She will also be joining us for a day and lives in nearby Melbourne.
We plan to leave Philadelphia airport on Friday May 5, arriving in Orlando at 8:30 pm. Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. arrive earlier in the day. We are all staying at the Hard Rock and my family will be in a deluxe queen room so we have a separate bed for DS2. The kids don't share a bed well and we all want to make sure we get our rest. HRH is the only Universal hotel we've stayed at and it was for 2 nights 3 years ago. We are excited to spend more time at this lovely resort.
We will grab our rental car at the airport and depart for HRH. The plan is to greet the Aunties and settle in so we can get some rest for our long trip.
Saturday - We plan to hit Universal Studios with Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. We have a late reservation at the superstar breakfast and will spend all day in the parks. Dinner at Cowfish. We have the universal explorer ticket so we can come and go as much as we want over the length of our trip.
Sunday - Meeting the D family for a day at Aquatica. We have Discovery Cove tickets for later in the week and are using the 14 days Sea World / Aquatica option. I did add the parking pass for SW / AQ for $30. We have also rented two Roa Rapids cabanas for the day. We have not seen the D family since last July and are looking to have a space where the adults can visit. We have never been to Aquatica but the boys love water parks. Dinner at the Hot Dog Hall of Fame back at the City Walk.
Monday - Early breakfast at 'Ohana with Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. We are Disney park-free but my kids love 'Ohana and want to see some Disney characters. Stitch is their favorite plus I have some Disney rewards dollars that will make breakfast free. After we eat, the seven of us are heading back for a full day at Islands of Adventure. Dinner at Toothsome.
Tuesday - Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C fly back to Philadelphia. We will hit Sea World with Aunt K. My husband and I have not been since we were kids. The boys are very excited to check out a new park. Dinner at City Walk.
Wednesday - Somewhat of a rest day. We will do some touring at USF / IOA and will plan some pool time. We have never done the wet rides in IOA so plan to check out Ripsaw Falls and Popeye's Barges. We have a dinner reservation at Chef Mickey's but it will depend on how we are feeling. NBC Sports is another option.
Thursday - This is an open day. We want to work in some miniature golf at the City Walk. The kids will get to decide what we do today - our tickets cover another trip to Sea World or Aquatica, we can head back to USF or IOA, or we may hang at the pool. The possibilities are endless! I would like to try Antojito's for dinner.
Friday - The culmination of our trip - Discovery Cove! My boys are over the moon about this. We'll be arriving early and are hoping for the first dolphin swim. DH is not a water park / swimming kind of guy so he will not be in the water with the dolphins but I am hoping he can get us some great pictures. We did not purchase the photo package. Dinner at City Walk.
Saturday - Heading home. We want to hit the parks at 8 am and do a few of our favorite rides. We need to be on the road at 11 for a 1:50 flight back home to Philadelphia.
We are two weeks out and I am just a wee-bit excited. I want to start organizing my toiletries and supplies to see what I need to run out to Target and purchase. I know the first few days of the trip are loaded but my kids are troopers. We've been visiting Disney annually since they were 4 and 2 - knock on wood, we've never had a park meltdown. We've seen Orlando in April, August/September, October, and November but never in May. Since we want to do a lot of water activities, I wanted to make sure the weather was warm but avoid the crowds of summer. We are taking the kids out of school for this trip.
I think that's all I have to share! I cannot promise I'll do pictures but I will provide a detailed report. It's a great way for me to build the anticipation - and then relive the trip after. Thanks for joining me!
Let's meet the cast. The stars of the show are me - Danielle. I am in my 40s and work for an insurance company. I work hard and live for my vacations with my boys. DH is not as enamored with the multiple trips to the mouse and has occasionally opted out. I was able to talk him into this trip since we are avoiding the Disney parks and embarking on some new adventures. DS1 just had his 11th birthday and is a total daredevil. He loves coasters and all the Harry Potter rides. DS2 is 8, loves characters, casting spells, and some thrill rides. He won't quite be 54 inches so he will miss out on Hulk and Dragon Challenge, but I am not sure he would ride even if he could. Our trip is between both of their birthdays (one April 19 and one May 20) so this trip is their gift.
The supporting cast are the following:
Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C - are all retired and joining us at the beginning of our trip. They all love Harry Potter and Uncle C hasn't been to Universal in 15+ years.
The D Family - friends of ours moved to the Tampa area from PA last year. They will be joining us for one day - mom, dad, DD15 and DS12.
Aunt K - another friend of ours. She's a kid at heart and loves thrill rides. She will also be joining us for a day and lives in nearby Melbourne.
We plan to leave Philadelphia airport on Friday May 5, arriving in Orlando at 8:30 pm. Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. arrive earlier in the day. We are all staying at the Hard Rock and my family will be in a deluxe queen room so we have a separate bed for DS2. The kids don't share a bed well and we all want to make sure we get our rest. HRH is the only Universal hotel we've stayed at and it was for 2 nights 3 years ago. We are excited to spend more time at this lovely resort.
We will grab our rental car at the airport and depart for HRH. The plan is to greet the Aunties and settle in so we can get some rest for our long trip.
Saturday - We plan to hit Universal Studios with Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. We have a late reservation at the superstar breakfast and will spend all day in the parks. Dinner at Cowfish. We have the universal explorer ticket so we can come and go as much as we want over the length of our trip.
Sunday - Meeting the D family for a day at Aquatica. We have Discovery Cove tickets for later in the week and are using the 14 days Sea World / Aquatica option. I did add the parking pass for SW / AQ for $30. We have also rented two Roa Rapids cabanas for the day. We have not seen the D family since last July and are looking to have a space where the adults can visit. We have never been to Aquatica but the boys love water parks. Dinner at the Hot Dog Hall of Fame back at the City Walk.
Monday - Early breakfast at 'Ohana with Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C. We are Disney park-free but my kids love 'Ohana and want to see some Disney characters. Stitch is their favorite plus I have some Disney rewards dollars that will make breakfast free. After we eat, the seven of us are heading back for a full day at Islands of Adventure. Dinner at Toothsome.
Tuesday - Aunt R, Aunt P, and Uncle C fly back to Philadelphia. We will hit Sea World with Aunt K. My husband and I have not been since we were kids. The boys are very excited to check out a new park. Dinner at City Walk.
Wednesday - Somewhat of a rest day. We will do some touring at USF / IOA and will plan some pool time. We have never done the wet rides in IOA so plan to check out Ripsaw Falls and Popeye's Barges. We have a dinner reservation at Chef Mickey's but it will depend on how we are feeling. NBC Sports is another option.
Thursday - This is an open day. We want to work in some miniature golf at the City Walk. The kids will get to decide what we do today - our tickets cover another trip to Sea World or Aquatica, we can head back to USF or IOA, or we may hang at the pool. The possibilities are endless! I would like to try Antojito's for dinner.
Friday - The culmination of our trip - Discovery Cove! My boys are over the moon about this. We'll be arriving early and are hoping for the first dolphin swim. DH is not a water park / swimming kind of guy so he will not be in the water with the dolphins but I am hoping he can get us some great pictures. We did not purchase the photo package. Dinner at City Walk.
Saturday - Heading home. We want to hit the parks at 8 am and do a few of our favorite rides. We need to be on the road at 11 for a 1:50 flight back home to Philadelphia.
We are two weeks out and I am just a wee-bit excited. I want to start organizing my toiletries and supplies to see what I need to run out to Target and purchase. I know the first few days of the trip are loaded but my kids are troopers. We've been visiting Disney annually since they were 4 and 2 - knock on wood, we've never had a park meltdown. We've seen Orlando in April, August/September, October, and November but never in May. Since we want to do a lot of water activities, I wanted to make sure the weather was warm but avoid the crowds of summer. We are taking the kids out of school for this trip.
I think that's all I have to share! I cannot promise I'll do pictures but I will provide a detailed report. It's a great way for me to build the anticipation - and then relive the trip after. Thanks for joining me!
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